Father and son

Staff Sgt. Uri Grossman, 20, son of novelist and peace activist David Grossman was killed Saturday in Lebanon, just days after his father made a public call for the government to halt its military operation and enter negotiations.

True, this is one of over 1,500 deaths in this war. Yet it catches the imagination, puts a face on the horror. Uri, so say the reports, was very happy when the ceasefire was announced. He promised his family he’ll be home for Friday dinner. He was killed in the ‘last push’ offensive when his tank was hit by an anti-tank missile.

David Grossmann has been a vocal peace activist for many years. Son of refugees from Nazi Europe, he has written both fiction and non-fiction addressing social and ethical issues in Israeli society. His books (Yellow Wind, Sleeping on a Wire, and others) confronted the Jewish community in Israel with the predicament of the Palestinians both in Israel and in the Palestinian territories.

In the first days of the war, David Grossman supported it – along with most of the Israeli left. However, as the days went on, his conviction that it should be stopped strengthened. Unfortunately, the ceasefire did not come quick enough for his son, and for scores of Lebanese and Israelis who have died since its announcement.

5 Responses

I feel for David Grossman, his family, and the families of Israeli soldiers and civilians killed. It’s true Uri Grossman gives an image of the suffering. Who gives an image on the lebanese side though? Where is the face of lebanese suffering? Where is the face of palestinian suffering, for that matter? The same question can of course be asked of the millions suffering in various regions of the world, in Africa, in central and southern Asia, in the Middle East…why are some victims more interesting to Western eyes than others? I ask these questions as a Westerner who to his shame must admit to feeling all to often blasé when confronted with the suffering of those who ‘are not like us’. I blame the the media for re-arranging suffering and victim status. After all why are a couple of thousand potential mid-air victims of islamic terrorism more shocking than thousands and thousands of actual victims of state terror and indifference in the aforementioned regions of the globe?

I never claimed objectivity. As a child, I used to listen to David Grossman’s programs on the radio. As an adult, I read his books. As a parretn, I read his books to my children. For me, he is a familliar face. I am not deaf or blind to Paelsinian and Lebanese voices, but I do not take the right to represent them – I think that’s just another form of western patronization, which is fundementaly a form of racism. I prefer to read their blogs (some are linked here).

Why should we always have sad stories? Who said we don not deserve to be happy, to have normal dreams like everybody else? What are our dreams in this piece of land? We dream to survive till tomorrow?! That is unacceptable…

I know you never claimed objectivity, Yishay. That’s your choice. I wish I could be without judgement, but I cannot help but judge your choice. I do not wish to ‘represent’ any country. That’s my choice. No doubt, it’s easier for me in the relative saftey of Europe, to think that way, but in the end, as Brian said, we are all individuals, even in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon.